Meet… And Dim Sum
RVA Hospitality has introduced a modern dumpling house in Downtown, Richmond
If noshing on dumplings and wontons, sipping playful cocktails infused with sake or Suntory Toki, and dining in a delightfully modern restaurant space sparks joy, there’s a date-night in your future.
Late last year, Liz Kincaid of RVA Hospitality debuted And Dim Sum at 305 Brook Road. Taking over the former Max’s on Broad space downtown, And Dim Sum, a concept centered on sharing, has been a concept in the making for nearly a decade.
“I worked at a dim sum place in England while I was overseas going to school, and they were so hospitable,” Kincaid says. “I loved the idea of the [bamboo steamer] basket and pairing dumplings and the tea, and that’s kind of the inspiration. It was right before I started at Tarrant’s.”
Inside, white tables and the dimly lit interior have been ditched for a bright dining room that pops with electric pink walls and playful accents of gold and rattan. The design demands diners snap pics, the vision brought to life by branding and design studio Campfire & Co. Upstairs, The dumpling theme resonates throughout the restaurant, from the round tables to the steamer baskets adorning the walls, with plates resembling the shape of the stuffed snacks.
The menu lists over a dozen dim sum options, many of which feature contemporary influences. Offerings include bamboo steamer baskets of shrimp, mushroom (shiitake, mushroom, garlic and ginger) and beef medallion dumplings, and pork Xiao long bao, or soup dumplings. RVA Hospitality has been working with Cavalier Produce for over a decade.
Plated dim sum options range from kimchi bacon egg rolls to duck wontons, hot and numbing calamari, pork belly bao buns and a crispy scallion pancake. Under the “largish” section, diners can find yellow chicken curry with purple yam and cabbage, a veggie stir fry and wok-seared lo mein, along with a hanger steak marinated in chili oil.
For drinks, a favorite at And Dim Sum is the easy-drinking, Granny Smith-hued Midoriyama Melon Sour with Midori-infused shochu, Midori and white tea tincture. Imbibers will also discover a yuzu-centric daiquiri, a riff on a Pina colada made with green tea coconut cream and nigiri sake and a ginger-spiked mojito. There are a handful of nonalcoholic options, along with a lineup of teas from smooth, fruit-forward jade oolong to smoky lapsang souchong served in a shiny gold tea kettle.
Kincaid took over full ownership of RVA Hospitality, which was founded by the late Ted Santarella, and its four restaurants (Tarrant’s, Tarrant’s West, Bar Solita and Max’s on Broad) in 2021. Last April, she announced that Max’s on Broad would be closing its doors and her long-awaited dim sum concept would follow. Kincaid is a restaurant-lifer. She first began working for RVA Hospitality as a waitress, and now, is the sole owner of the multi-concept restaurant group.
And finally, her dumpling dream has come true. “Every year I was like, ‘I’m going to leave and do a dim sum restaurant,” she says.
